Major Richard J. “Dick” Meadows is renowned in military circles as a key figure in the development of the U.S. Army Special Operations. A highly decorated war veteran of the engagements in Korea and Vietnam, Meadows was instrumental in the founding of the U.S. Delta Force and hostage rescue force. Although he officially retired in 1977, Meadows could never leave the army behind, and he went undercover in the clandestine operations to free American hostages from Iran in 1980.

The Quiet Professional: Major Richard J. Meadows of the U.S. Army Special Forces is the only biography of this exemplary soldier’s life. Military historian Alan Hoe offers unique insight into Meadows, having served alongside him in 1960. The Quiet Professional is an insider’s account that gives a human face to U.S. military strategy during the cold war. Major Meadows often claimed that he never achieved anything significant; The Quiet Professional proves otherwise, showcasing one of the great military minds of twentieth-century America.

Major Alan Hoe (ret.) served in the British Army Special Forces and is the author of several books, including Terrorism: Threat and Response and David Stirling: The Authorized Biography of the Creator of the SAS.

"Dick Meadows' iconic status begins with his exploits in MACV-SOG and on the Son Tay Raid in Vietnam. This book documents his singular status in the Special Operations community and is a welcome contribution to the literature of the history of Army Special Operations."--Kenneth Finlayson, Ph.D., Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)

"A great read about a great American warrior, The Quiet Professional captures the essence of this humble but extraordinary Special Forces legend, Major Dick Meadows. From the back alleys of Tehran to the jungles of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the terror-stricken villages of Peru, this Green Beret set the standard that we all aspired to achieve but rarely met."--Major John L. Plaster, USA (Ret.), author of SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commanders in Vietnam

"Alan Hoe has written another very good book about an unforgettable man and SF soldier who our founder would have approved of and liked. He presents the reader with a rounded portrait of an exceptional officer who found his true metier in service with SF in testing times, a modest man of honour who was contect to be 'The Quiet Professional'. . . His book uncovers the very essence of Dick Meadows, for he is writing with clarity about a close friend, never an easy task for a biographer." -- Mars & Minerva

"A book about one of the greatest legends in the world of U.S. Army special forces, Major Richard Meadows"--Military Heritage -- Military

"This is a well written biography of the extraordinary life of a complex man. It should be on the suggested reading list of the Chief of Staff of the Army for Army leaders at every level and should be found in every soldier's professional library."--Army

"This book provides insight into the military career of one of the most courageous soldiers of modern times, and examines the operations of the Special Forces in the Korean and Vietnam wars in addition to hostage crises through the 1980s."--Tucson Citizen

“There is very little public knowledge of how special-operations forces carry out their work or of the half-century effort to develop a joint doctrine of special-operations tactics and techniques. It is an important story, and few men loom as large in it as Maj. Richard J. Meadows.”--Wall Street Journal

Every Special Forces soldier should be handed a copy upon becoming an "A-Team" member and told, "This is what it's all about." -- Military